On Monday, according to the organisation, Hamas released two additional women hostages from Israel. Since its Sabbath raid, over 5,000 Palestinians have perished in Israeli attacks on Gaza, according to Hamas.
Following mediation by Qatar and Egypt, the two women were released for “compelling humanitarian” grounds, according to the armed branch of Hamas.
A few days after two American ladies, Judith Tai Raanan and her daughter Natalie Shoshana Raanan, were released, they were brought to the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza.
Several media outlets have reported that Hamas may free 50 more hostages. They stated that Red Cross personnel were en route to Gaza to free the dual-national hostages.
The number of verified captives in Tel Aviv rose to 222 persons on Monday. In spite of former US President Barack Obama’s warning that “any Israeli military strategy that ignores human costs could ultimately backfire,” the Israeli army claimed it was preparing for “unrelenting attacks” to destroy Hamas.
According to Daniel Hagari, a military spokesperson for Israel, the army is “ready and determined” for the next phase of the conflict and is awaiting political direction. Although “our war is on our borders, not thousands of miles from Israel,” he added, adding that he expected weeks of conflict ahead. He claimed that Israel was learning from the US experience in the Middle East.
Israel reported that 1,400 people were killed by Hamas in the biggest massacre in the nation’s 75-year history.
Gaza’s health ministry reported that more than 5,000 people have died in the Gaza Strip, while the Israeli military reported on Monday that it had carried out more than 300 fresh strikes in the previous day. According to the government, there have been nearly 2,000 children killed.
A request for a humanitarian halt in the Israel-Hamas conflict is being considered by the European Union. Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, came in Tel Aviv today to declare his nation’s “full solidarity” with Israel. The Sabbath attack by Hamas claimed the lives of 30 French nationals.
According to news agency, the US has expressed concern that a ceasefire in Gaza might be advantageous to Hamas. According to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, a truce would “give Hamas the ability to rest, to refit, and to get ready to continue launching terrorist attacks against Israel.”
According to President Joe Biden, conversations about a ceasefire in Gaza can only begin if Hamas releases all captives it took from Israel during its raid on October 7. When asked if he would back a “hostages-for-ceasefire” arrangement, Biden responded, “We should have those hostages released and then we can talk,” according to AFP.
